Coloring (Living) Outside the Lines

By Marlene Buffa

In
our formative years, parents and teachers alike encouraged – and
sometimes required- us to color inside the lines of the all-too
familiar coloring book. We learned to read by identifying the proper
colors to use in each segment of the black and white image, making sure
our crayon marks blended together to form a solid-looking filler. Sometimes, we'd press hard so the crayon wax embedded itself onto the
paper, resulting in a beautiful sheen. Often, in early schooling, our
coloring projects received grades for various aspects of the assignment
– using the proper color in each portion of the picture, no combination
of colors and most importantly, coloring inside the lines. As adults,
we accrue credits for conformity, with no hint of the reward for
compliance, yet we strive to obey the rules. When we begin to live
outside the lines of our past, we bathe in a rainbow of gratification,
breaking restrictions, and daring the possibilities for self-expression.

ScribblingAs
toddlers, motor skills not yet developed, we learned by imitation and
repetition. We saw our older siblings or parents adeptly color by
example and even though our little fingers could barely hold the
crayon, we attempted to follow their lead. Usually wielding a color
unconventional for the subject matter, we gleefully and proudly
scribbled all over the page and believed our artwork rivaled the steady
handed elder. Seeing our primitive attempts as perfection, we presented
our handiwork with pride to our family, and beamed brightly when it
earned the esteem of display in a public place.

In many ways, we
still scribble our way through life, attempting to follow a higher path
and aspire to deeper meanings. We're proud of our progress and often
feel it equal to those whose work we study intently. Our Creator, quite
satisfied with our attempts, instills in us the drive to keep moving
forward, all the while pleased with our sense of accomplishmentImportantly, when we examine our present moments, take time to reflect
on the progress and note that where you are now sprung from the
foundation of rudimentary skills coupled with the need to grow.

Choose Your PaletteEarly
years coloring books clearly pointed out the "proper" color to fill in
the image. This simple direction allowed you to learn to read, match
the word to the crayon, and fill in only that designated area with the
color. It also taught us to follow directions and agree, on some basic
level, on how things were supposed to appear.

As adults, we
learn that things are not what they seem in life. The harsh lessons
that stray from the saying, "If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck
and quacks like a duck… then it's a duck!" put us in an uncomfortable
place. When we, or a friend, dared to color the grass pink and the
duck's bill purple, we suffered scolding from our friends and teachers. In retrospect, we see that assigning objects different characteristics
than accepted by others, moved us into a new realm of questioning, and
ultimately understanding. Today, we open ourselves up to ideas that the
status quo no longer need remain static, and invite the inevitable
change in our prism of possibilities to provide the shifts needed for
growth.

EmbellishmentsFollowing
directions carefully, we used our coloring projects as one of our first
exercises in self expression. As we developed through childhood, our
coloring books grew more elaborate, including more intricate images and
even contained story-lines. The more sophisticated books included
puzzles and games. Rarely, however, did the books encourage us to add
to the images on the page. We simply colored what we were given and
enjoyed the pastime. As we continued to grow, we realized that we could
add birds, grass, trees and more to an image to personalize it and make
it our own.

As adults, we find satisfaction in getting our needs
met on a daily basis, and remain fairly content with our means of
achieving that end. Bombarded with advertising for "more, bigger,
better and improved" one-time luxuries now seem pass and our level of
standard increases with each passing year. We argue that the extras are
simply our basic "needs" as we see them, and not enhancements or
frills. When we pause to examine the possibilities in life, we see than
even the littlest embellishment enhances our life experience. Noticing
the birds, grass, trees and more provides a richer appreciationNoticing ordinary things as extraordinary complements to our automated
lives, expands the full spectrum of our enjoyment of today.

Adding text balloonsAs
we grew nearer to leaving coloring books behind, most of us enjoyed a
brief phase of both reading comics and the funny pages while still
enjoying our artistic expression with crayons. Daring to create
dialogue of our own, we drew little balloons projecting from our
colored pictures and wrote what we believed relevant comments to
enhance the page. A glorious outcropping in the learning process, we
carried over one learned element from the medium of comics and applied
it to our own creation.

In our grown-up years we adapt
similarly, as well. We enjoy a sense of fulfillment when we add our own
"color commentary" to any given situation. From observations to
opinions, our input declares our position in the present moment and
demonstrates to others our grasp on understanding. We allow our voice
to speak loudly, declaring who we perceive ourselves to be, by our
dialogue with one another.

In following the rules, we find
contentment in the order of things in society. By driving between the
white or yellow lanes of traffic, peace and safety continues down the
road of life. In the aspects of life which allow for creativity and
spiritual expression, we grow through a poignant process. From
scribbling in the color of our choice and knowing the majesty of our
work, to the dedicated adherence to a dark outline of definition in the
color specified, we see opportunities for growth and movement.

When
we dare to expand our insight beyond the stringent limitations and add
embellishments that heighten our awareness of the world around us, we
open the door to freedom of expression. It is there, in the purity of
the moment, we give ourselves permission to not only see and experience
life differently, but to leave our mark on the world.

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